When aid misses the target: competing objectives, new classifications, and smarter delivery
Western donors allocate over US$ 200 billion annually to official development assistance (ODA), yet much of this funding serves goals other than sustained recipient‑country development. In this paper, I argue that competing objectives and uses—including in‑donor refugee costs, geopolitical interests...
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| Main Author: | |
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| Format: | Article (Journal) |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
19 September 2025
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| In: |
World development
Year: 2025, Volume: 196, Pages: 1-6 |
| ISSN: | 1873-5991 |
| DOI: | 10.1016/j.worlddev.2025.107159 |
| Online Access: | Verlag, kostenfrei, Volltext: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.worlddev.2025.107159 Verlag, kostenfrei, Volltext: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0305750X25002451 
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| Author Notes: | Axel Dreher |
| Summary: | Western donors allocate over US$ 200 billion annually to official development assistance (ODA), yet much of this funding serves goals other than sustained recipient‑country development. In this paper, I argue that competing objectives and uses—including in‑donor refugee costs, geopolitical interests, and commercial ties—and inflated aid budgets undermine ODA’s credibility. I then argue for a narrow, development‑focused definition of ODA that excludes humanitarian relief and global public goods and suggest that concentrating development aid on infrastructure, education, and health—linked to a small number of ex ante conditions and delivering it primarily through budget support in democracies—would improve alignment with recipient priorities, bolster government accountability, and maximize developmental impact. |
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| Item Description: | Gesehen am 21.01.2026 |
| Physical Description: | Online Resource |
| ISSN: | 1873-5991 |
| DOI: | 10.1016/j.worlddev.2025.107159 |